Summer Reading Challenge

Read, learn, and have fun all summer long with Lambton County Library!

July 2 - August 15, 2025

With the theme of 'Wild Wonder', read, use your imagination, explore the outdoors, and be involved in your community with us during this year's Summer Reading Challenge. Participate at home, online, or wherever your summer takes you. Set reading goals for yourself or your children and report your reading weekly for a chance to win prizes.

Kid Challenge Teen Challenge Adult Challenge

Programs and Events

Social Media Contest

Capture the fun and you could win a Nintendo Switch!

We want to see all the Summer Reading Challenge fun so we're hosting a challenge on Facebook. Snap photos of you, your child, or your teen participating in the Summer Reading Challenge. Share your pictures in the comments under this post (link coming soon) by Monday, August 18, 2025 and follow our page for a chance to win a Nintendo Switch!

Not comfortable sharing your face? Wear the animal mask located in the registration kit to protect your privacy. No registration kit? No problem. Download an animal mask and join in on the fun!

Each photo you submit serves as a ballot, so the more activities you complete and share, the greater your chances of winning. The winner will be selected at random.

Kids (0 - 12)

Kids can participate in the Summer Reading Challenge by registering at the Wild Wonder Launch Party, on Beanstack, or at any Lambton County Library location beginning on June 14. After registering, visit your nearest Lambton County Library to receive a registration kit while supplies last*. Registration kits contain an earth ball creation kit and instructions, stickers, animal mask, and information about native plants with Anishinaabemowin translations. For every five books read during the Summer Reading Challenge, kids will earn one free book to a maximum of three book prizes. In addition to reading, kids can participate in activities to earn badges and be entered into prize draws. Each week, kids who have logged reading will be entered into a draw for an Earth Rangers Animal Adoption Kit.

*Kits are only guaranteed for the first 3,000 participants who pick up at their nearest Lambton County Library.

Wild Wonder Launch Party

Start your Summer Reading Challenge off right with our Wild Wonder Launch Party on Saturday, June 14 from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Victoria Park in Petrolia, ON. Attendees will be able to register for the Summer Reading Challenge and receive their registration kit. Activities at the event will include:

Face painting with Fairytale Face Painting
Up close encounters with birds of prey from Wild Ontario
Reptile meet and greet with Reptilia, 9:30-10:30 and 11:30-12:30
Reptile show with Reptilia, 10:30-11:30
Activities with Petrolia YMCA
Activities with EarlyON
Information from St. Clair Region Conservation Authority
Inflatable bounce house and obstacle course

In the case of inclement weather, the event will take place at Greenwood Arena.

Activity Badges

Earn activity badges while exploring the community for a chance to win a prize.

Outdoor Activities Badge

Kids who complete one of the six listed activities will earn their Outdoor Activities Badge and be entered into a draw to win an age appropriate LEGO kit.

Find three different trees and try to identify them (leaves vs. needles, bark, shapes) or just identify the differences you see: leaf shape, bark texture, branches thickness and shape, height, girth (which is biggest).
Go on a nature walk and point out all of the creatures you see. Be sure include bugs and animals and count how many different creatures you saw. Borrow Walking Poles from Lambton County Library to help you on your walk.
Colour scavenger hunt! Find six different things outside in nature, one of each of these colours: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, and purple. For an extra challenge, find and identify six wildflowers or native plants, one in each of the colours, but leave them where they are! They are important food sources for wildlife. Borrow a pair of Binoculars to see things from a different point of view.
Read outside on a deck or porch, backyard, at a park, on the beach. Sometimes reading is better outside!
Visit any Lambton County Library StoryWalk.
- Oil Museum of Canada, Oil Springs
- Ausable River Cut Conservation Area, Port Franks
- Canatara Park, Sarnia
- Mooretown SportsComplex, Mooretown
- Port Franks Community Centre, Port Franks
- Twin Creeks Nature Trail, Watford
- Lambton Heritage Museum, Grand Bend
Create a nature/landscape artwork using whichever medium you choose; make something you have seen in real life or try to recreate a setting from a book but leave nature alone! Just use materials you find, like fallen leaves and sticks, and don’t disturb the environment.

Active Transportation Badge

Take a form of active transportation by getting somewhere with your own physical exertion instead of a motorized vehicle. Completion of this Active Transportation Badge will enter you into a draw for a bike bell.

Wildlife Warrior Badge

Kids who complete one of the six listed activities will earn their Wildlife Warrior Badge.

Create or protect habitat for wildlife in your backyard
Plant native wildflower species
Turn off outdoor lights at night for the birds
Protect birds from window collisions
Pick up litter, but always follow safe practices
Switch to reusable items

Completion Prize Draw

Any kid who completes the challenge by earning at least five badges, including reading milestone badges, will be entered into a draw to win their choice of a prize valued at $150. The choices will include the following:

6 person Coleman tent

Tourism Sarnia Lambton gift certificate

Outdoor games set with Stomp Rockets, Ring Toss, 3 in 1 Combo Set

Maajiigin Gumig greenhouse gift card, a raised planter, and kids gardening tools

Beetle decal backpack, picnic blanket, and a microscope kit.

Backyard Explorer kit

Kid Programs and Events

Firefly Hike at the Lorne Henderson Conservation Area

Recommended for all ages

Enjoy the magic of summer fireflies at this event for the whole family. Participate in a hike guided by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and watch out for the glow of fireflies.

Tuesday, July 2

Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Centre

Recommended for all ages

Species at Risk

Learn about species at risk right in your own backyard with a wildlife expert from Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.

Friday, July 25

Local Wildlife

Learn about wildlife that lives right in your own backyard with an expert from Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.

Monday, August 11

Storytimes with Pinery Park Naturalists

Recommended for all ages

Explore the natural world with stories and animal artefacts from a Pinery Park Naturalist.

Birds of Prey Flight Demonstration

Recommended for all ages

Sarnia Library Theatre

Saturday, July 12

10:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Learn about birds of prey and experience a live, free-flight demonstration in this unique encounter with nature’s flying hunters.

This presentation features free-flying birds.

Wildlife Warrior Training Camps

Recommended for ages 6-9

Become a wildlife warrior at this event where you will learn about different creatures from around the world and a little bit about how you can help protect them.

Book Launch with Dominique Rumball

Recommended for all ages

More information about this program is on its way. Check back soon for updates.

Reading Suggestions

Cover of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" By Eric Carle.

Babies and Toddlers

Cover of "Evergreen" by Matthew Cordell.

Beginning Readers (Pre K - Grade 1)

Emerging Readers (K to Grade 2)

Cover of "The Busy Tree" by Jennifer Ward.

Beginner Chapter Books (Grade 3 - 4)

Cover of "Lions & Liars" by Kate Beasley.

Confident Readers (Grade 5 - 8)

Teens

Teens across Lambton County are encouraged to set reading goals and to participate in fun activities this summer by taking part in the Teen Summer Reading Challenge! Teens can register on Beanstack or at any Lambton County Library location beginning on June 14. After registering, visit your nearest Lambton County Library to receive a registration kit while supplies last*. Registration kits contain an earth ball creation kit and instructions, stickers, animal mask, and information about native plants with Anishinaabemowin translations. Teens can track the number of minutes they read each day and earn book prizes at 200 minutes of reading, 400 minutes of reading, and 600 minutes of reading, with a maximum of three book prizes. In addition to reading, teens can participate in activities to earn badges and be entered into prize draws. Each week, teens who have logged reading will be entered into a draw for a swag pack containing a pair of sunglasses, a tuber, and a nature journal.

**Kits are only guaranteed for the first 3,000 participants who pick up at their nearest Lambton County Library.